


Cherik drabbles

by orphan_account, riais



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mentions of Cancer, multiple AUs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24066367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account, https://archiveofourown.org/users/riais/pseuds/riais
Summary: A series of unrelated drabbles from my old tumblr account I thought some of you might enjoy. Multiple AUs, all Cherik.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Kudos: 16





	1. Hiding in the dark (unpowered modern au)

**Author's Note:**

> I rarely have time to write anymore, but here are some small unrelated Tumblr drabbles from an account I abandoned. I'm doing this for a couple reasons, but one of them is to have them all in one place. You can find me now @toymonster. Hopefully I can push myself into writing more again. These are not currently edited, just taken straight from my old account. if you're interested in sequels to any of the chapters, uuhhh....let me know?

Erik has a violent past. He never imagined he’d fall for Charles and leave his revenge quest on the back burner. Charles never dreamed his fiance was capable of hiding so many dark secrets from him. It’s funny how things work out in life. (2017)  
\--

Charles couldn’t breathe.

He sat frozen at his desk, old newspaper clippings pulled up on his laptop screen. His fiance’s face was looking back at him from an old photo. It was a mugshot, but it wasn’t Erik’s name on the caption.

Charles chewed at his nails as he scrolled. He could barely read the German paper, but he could see the photos. He only needed some crime scene photos and context clues to know that Erik was responsible.

No. Max. Eisenhardt.

His whole relationship was a lie. His world had dropped out from under him. He sat, staring at the screen, unable to move or think or function. He didn’t know what to do, barely believed his own eyes. How could Erik, his Erik, have done this?

The front door slammed in the living room. Charles startled, drawing in a sharp breath of air. Oh, god. Erik was home. He didn’t even know what to do. He pushed the lid down on his laptop and stood as Erik entered the room.

“Hey,” Erik said from the doorway. His eyes were half-lidded and tired and his mouth rested in an easy smile.

“Hey,” Charles said. He willed himself to breath normally, for his heart to stop pounding like it was going to fly out of his chest. He kept his hands at his sides and tried keep himself from clenching them into fists. It was a lie. It had all been a lie, “How was your day?” Charles didn’t know if he could move without breaking into pieces. He bit the inside of his lip as he felt his face grow hot.

Charles was angry, so angry. But he could also feel his heart breaking.

“Long,” Erik said softly. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” No. How could he be? Friends had always told him how wrong Erik was for him. How cold and distant the man was. How Charles deserved better, “It’s just been a long day”

How stupid had he been? How stupid did Erik think he was?

“Well, I’ll make dinner and then we can relax. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” Charles lied. The last thing he wanted was to be in this home with Erik. He could barely look at him. He couldn’t make himself smile even to keep up appearances.

Charles collapsed in his chair as Erik left the doorway. He could hear him walking through the kitchen, setting pans on the counter and pulling food out of the fridge. How lucky he’d thought he was to have a partner like Erik.

How was he supposed to confront his lover about a secret violent past? The whole concept seemed ridiculous and he’d be laughing if this wasn’t happening to him. This was far from some miscommunication between the couple. This was a disaster. He ran his fingers through his hair and drew in a long breath. What the fuck?

\--

They ate dinner in relative silence. Erik was too tired to talk much and Charles-well. Charles didn’t know what he was. He stared at the table as he chewed his food, unwilling to look Erik in the face. His stomach churned. He hoped he wouldn’t throw up right here at the table. He didn’t know Erik anymore. Erik’s gentle smiles and long searching looks were now something foreign and corrupt.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine.” Charles stood with his plate, food barely touched, and took it into the kitchen without another word. He set it on the counter and sighed, too distracted with his thoughts to hear Erik push his chair back and follow him into the kitchen. Suddenly Erik’s arms were around him. Charles stiffened and fought back the impulse to push him away.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” Erik kissed at Charles neck and shoulder as Charles gripped the counter, nails digging into the wood. He closed his eyes, his breath trembling, “Let me help.”

“You can’t.” Charles said, leaning away from his touch. He was trapped between Erik and the counter, but he couldn’t stand to let Erik touch him anymore. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”

Erik pulled back then, the press of his mouth gone but his hands still loosely around Charles’ waist. Charles could feel Erik staring at him, but he still wouldn’t look him in the face, “What?” Erik said.

“You’ve been lying to me.” He could feel his eyes stinging, his cheeks warm. “I don’t even know who you are.” He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. He didn’t want to cry in front of Erik. He felt pathetic. But he was so, so angry and so hurt.

Erik was quiet. Charles pried Erik’s hands off of his waist and turned toward him, eyes red and brows drawn together. He leaned back against the counter, arms crossed. “Do you have nothing to say?”

Erik mirrored Charles, wrapping his arms around himself defensively. They stood close enough together that their thighs were touching. “What do you know?”

“That you’ve hurt people, Erik. That everything I know about you is a lie. I don’t even know your name.”

“I changed my name when I left home,” he said, “That doesn’t make it fake.”

Charles let a strangled noise escape his throat, “I have no idea who you are.” He pushed at Erik’s chest, open palmed, with no intention of actually hurting him. He’d never in his life been so frustrated and angry. “We’re about to marry and you’re hiding something like this from me?”

“You do know me.” Erik grabbed Charles’ hand and squeezed it. “I’ve changed since I did those things.”

Charles jerked his hand away. “How do you expect me to believe you?”

“You can’t possibly think I’m that person after all of these years we’ve been together.”

“No! Because you lied about everything!” Charles threw his hand out, gesturing at the space around them that they had worked so hard to afford and make into their home. Charles’ hand dropped suddenly, energy drained. “I can’t do this right now.”

“Give me a chance.” Erik reached out one last time and brushed a hand over Charles’ shoulder, “Please.”

Charles gently pushed Erik’s hand away, his breath trembling. “I need some time.”

Erik stepped backwards, face falling as Charles slipped past him. He watched as Charles rushed up the stairs to the bedroom and didn’t even look back. The door slammed behind him.

Erik didn’t follow. He slept on the couch that night, unsure of what the morning would bring.


	2. Moving in (modern unpowered)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: either Charles or Erik trying to figure out how to ask the other to move in. (modern au, 2017)

Charles always thought he would be the one to ask the important questions. He was the first to ask Erik out, even going as far as being the first to update their status on social media when they started dating officially. Charles was also the first to say “I love you.”

Of course, there’s a big jump between “I love you” and “Move in with me” and this is probably why it took months for Charles to decide he was finally ready to say something. It was routine by now that Erik stayed over every night. Charles dedicated a space in his dresser for Erik even without asking, and eventually Erik’s clothes began to fill it one by one. His toothbrush held permanent seat next to Charles’ and they even had their morning routine down so perfectly that he felt off anytime Erik wasn’t there with him in the morning. Erik mentioned his lease was almost up the week prior, and even though they hadn’t actually talked about it, the timing would be a great excuse. They knew each other so well. So why couldn’t Charles just say it? No matter how long they were together or how much they had been through, there was always that small part of him that was terrified that he would scare Erik away.

It turns out, Charles wouldn’t get the chance to ask at all.

It happened on a perfectly ordinary Wednesday between getting dressed and making coffee. Erik’s tie hung loosely around his shoulders as he poured his coffee and Charles sat at the table, reading his paper. Erik offered Charles the coffee pot with a small smile. Charles took it without really looking, still not woken up enough to think about what he was doing. It slipped out of his hands. He watched it hit the floor and shatter, coffee spilling all over the floor.

“Oh,” Charles said. He sighed, because of course his morning would start out like this, and began to roll up his sleeves and stand, reaching for the roll of paper towels off of the counter. He would have to get a new coffee maker. He must have been projecting, his sleep addled brain not bothering to set his normal boundaries.

“We can use mine,” Erik said, his hand wrapping lightly around Charles’ wrist. His voice was soft, the night having eased away the tension that normally constricted him. “I don’t need it at my place anymore if I’m living here.”

Charles looked up at him, eyebrows raised and mouth hanging open just a little. “Living here?” he repeated.

“I said, didn’t I? My lease is ending. I thought the whole point of the dresser space was for me to start moving my stuff in. I’ve been thinking about it for the last month”

“Oh, Erik. Why do you always assume I know what you’re thinking?” He placed his hands on Erik’s face. “It’s not like you want me reading your thoughts on purpose. You didn’t even let me ask you to move in.”

“You didn’t have to. I knew.”

Charles bit his bottom lip, trying to hold back his sappy smile. Erik kissed him, laughing a little, before pulling away. “I’ll clean it up,” Erik said, “Have my coffee. I can get more before work.”

Charles would just have to make sure he did the proposal right. But, of course, that was a long ways away.


	3. Nerves (modern unpowered)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Erik brings Charles to a movie night to meet his friends/coworkers (modern unpowered, 2013)

Erik didn’t get nervous about things. Nerves were for people without confidence in their situation, and let it never be said that Erik didn’t have confidence.

…

Erik didn’t exactly have confidence in his situation.

No one had met his boyfriend yet. Until last week, no one had even known he had one, not until Emma had found out and told the entire floor, that is.

It had been an accident, her seeing them on the street together. What had also been an accident was her seeing grumpy, angry, gruff Erik replaced by a sweet and doting double.

Emma almost hadn’t believe her eyes, not until Erik had spotted her and choked out an ‘Oh god.’ Sweet Charles, as she’d later taken to calling him, had asked Erik if he knew this lovely woman and Erik had no other choice but to introduce the two of them.

When Erik had walked in the next morning, the whole office knew. He could hear them talking about it in their little gossiping voices as he’d walked through. It didn’t help matters that as soon as one of them saw him, he heard shushes and silence, followed by a few wayward giggles. Erik had gone straight to his workstation in red faced embarrassment and avoided everyone the rest of the day.

Fast-forward one week, and Emma was sliding into his personal space with a predatory smile on her lips, “So,” she’d said conversationally, “did you get the email about movie night?”

“Everyone got the email about movie night.”

“How do you keep such an adorable boyfriend with that attitude?” she asked with a drawn out sigh. Erik could be so hard to work with, “You should bring him, by the way. Make sure he wears that cute little bow tie again.”

“No,” he’d said, “I’m not bringing him to a work party just to show him off.”

“Why? You should.” She’d drawn a long finger down his arm, just to rattle him. When he didn’t respond, she had sighed. “I’ll just message him on Facebook and tell him all about it.”

He’d turned and stared at her, “You’re Facebook friends?”

She’d given another smile. This one had shown all of her teeth, “Of course. He’s lovely”

He’d mumbled something about Charles being Facebook friends with everybody and then begrudgingly said, “Yes, fine. I’ll bring him”

“Perfect,” She’d said, and then left.

And now here Erik was, standing in front of the door to Azazel’s flat, nervous and jittery, with Charles at his side. Charles patted his arm with a reassuring smile on his face.

“You’d think I’d be the nervous one,” he said.

“I’m not nervous”

“Of course not, dear,” and Charles dragged him down for a kiss.

How unfortunate for Erik that at that moment, Emma had chosen to open the door.


	4. A deal (historic fantasy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Time is not given and time is not taken, it just flows on its own," or: A knight plays a game of chess with Death (one of my all time favorite tropes) (2013)

“I need more time,” The young knight said quietly, voice rasping. He moved his bishop across the game board. His face was gaunt, his breath shallow. Blood stained his hands and tunic, seeping into the fabric he wore as he pressed one hand against his wound. His sword lay discarded at his side.

There was a battlefield surrounding for miles where he was seated across from another man. The stench of death hung in the air around them, heavy and suffocating.

The man, or rather, the being across from him did not look up from the board, “You assume that I can give that to you, that I have the right to alter what should be.”

“Do you not?” The knight, Erik, watched closely the figure seated in front of him, more smoke than solid, more specter than man.

“You are confusing me with the lady, Fate. I do not have the power to change your destiny.”

“If I were to offer my soul-”

“And what, then, shall I do with it?” The man looked up, his deep blue eyes cutting through Erik further than any mortal should be able to see.

But this man was not mortal.

“I am only asking for the chance to kill Sebastian Shaw and nothing more. Beyond that, my time is forfeit.”

“It is already forfeit,” the man in black said, “it was never yours to keep and bargain with,” He sighed and moved one of his knights, “you think that because I have a piece of Death within me that I can control how and when people die, but that isn’t so. I do not understand your preoccupation with honor in death, nor do I understand the concept of vengeance. You will all go. It does not matter how, in the end.”

“Then why did you agree to this game, if you are only delaying the inevitable?’

The man smirked, his red lips curling upward, "Because, my friend, I know when I will take you, and it is not today.”

The young knight looked up, startled, as the man in black stood, the game still unfinished, “When I return,” he said softly, his rich voice echoing across the stillness around them, “We shall complete your game. Maybe by then you will have had your chance, yes?” He smiled, and the warmth of it gave the illusion of something real standing in front of Erik before the apparition vanished into smoke.


	5. The Hunt (fantasy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Demon Hunting husbands (2013)

“This is barbaric,” Charles complained loudly over the sound of inhuman screeching, “You know how to use magic to incapacitate them. Why can’t you ever do it?”

"This is more fun. There’s also a challenge.” Erik broke cover to quickly fire a few shots at a decidedly ugly looking demon that was currently breathing fire in the wrong direction. He ducked down again, kneeling beside his husband.

Charles scoffed and rolled his eyes, “There’s plenty of challenge in casting.”

“Really?” Erik’s eyebrow rose, “it doesn’t take seconds of your time to finish the fight easily?”

Charles huffed and said, “No,” defensively, “There’s work involved. I just happen to be very fast at it.”

Fire shot out overhead. The demon howled, confused at where its prey had gone. This one was not particularly bright.

“I’m just trying to make this last. They’re too afraid to come up to the surface anymore, like we’ve scared them all away.”

“I think that’s the point, Dear.”

“It’s getting boring with nothing to do”

It was Charles’ turn to raise his eyebrows, “Nothing to do? A shame, just rolling around in bed with me all day, isn’t it?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Do I?” Charles asked sweetly.

There was a rumbling sound as the demon began to amble away in another direction.

“Oh goodness,” Charles said, “I suppose we should kill it now.”

Erik sighed, “If it’s going to head toward the city, might as well.”

“Shall I?”

Erik motioned him ahead, “All yours.” And before Erik could even finish his sentence, light flared up in a circle on the ground below Charles and shot off toward the demon. When the light from the magic blast faded from his vision, there was only a pile of smoldering ashes left.

Erik counted it in at just under 30 seconds

“Not a word,” Charles said, glaring.

Erik only smirked and holstered his gun.


	6. Worth the time (modern unpowered)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Erik as a terminal patient, Charles as the doctor treating him (2013)

“You’re going to be short your favorite patient soon,” Erik said from the hospital bed, the ghost of something like a pained smile on his lips.

“Erik-” Charles started, a warning rising in the tone of his voice.

Erik shook his head “You’d think, working with people like me, you’d be used to this kind of thing.”

Charles leveled him with a look that quite clearly was not in the mood for these kind of comments, “I do this to save people, Erik, not watch them die.” He broke eye contact, looking towards the window on the far wall. Erik could see that his eyes were wet.

He reached out quietly to take Charles’ hand, “You can’t save everyone.”

“I wanted to save you” Charles’ voice rose high and broke at the stressed word, and he breathed in a loud and pained gasp. Startled at his own outburst, he closed his eyes tightly; his hand flew to his mouth as he attempted to calm his breathing, “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Erik squeezed the hand he was still holding, “Hey,” he said, “if I didn’t have cancer, we wouldn’t have met.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Maybe a little. I’m just…” his eyes slid away from Charles’ face, “Thank you.” he said, “for making this time worth it.”

He tried to avoid looking at the way a tear spilled over and began to fall down Charles’ cheek.


	7. A Summer to remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically the start of a motorcycle gang au that I never finished. (modern unpowered, 2013)

Erik loved his bikes. Every inch of the gleaming metal spoke of his dedication to them. Charles couldn’t even stop to count how often he would find Erik in the shop, grease up to his elbows and smeared on his chest as if he didn’t want to be doing anything else. Maybe he did, but he was dedicated, and he exemplified the type of work ethic that other people would be jealous of.

Charles liked to watch like it was the most natural thing in the world. Logan mocked him, mocked both of them, but Charles didn’t care, and Erik tried his best to ignore it. And there Charles sat, his skinny legs straddling a bike that wasn’t exactly his. It’s not like Erik minded, however, and no one else was stupid enough to say anything. Alex mostly just stared. Logan shook his head and got back to work, cigar dangling out of his lips.

So there Erik worked in that cramped garage while Charles watched, through the summer heat, little fans blowing around hot air, with sweat on his skin and dirt all over him. Charles was entranced, like he wanted nothing else in the world than to be right here with Erik, and really, he didn’t. And when night started to fall and the boys started to make their way home, Erik locked up the shop and dragged himself upstairs ahead of Charles without saying that he could stay or go. It seemed they were past that by now. Charles always stayed

Erik always only managed to make it to the couch before collapsing there, dragging Charles into messy kisses on top of him. And Charles would laugh, every time, and this rhythm they’d somehow fallen into never broke, as Charles tsked about how dirty Erik was, tried to pull him up from the couch until Erik finally relented, dragged him down the hall and removed his clothes, and pushed him into the shower in front of him.

Sometimes in moments like this it even felt like love

And with the summer winding down, and the thought of Graduate studies in England looming in the distance, Charles wasn’t quite so sure if he could take that.


	8. Somewhere along the way (modern unpowered)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A loose au of the movie The Fountain, or: another cancer au. I exclusively used to only write angst. (2013)

When Charles came home, all the lights were off, and he found Erik sitting alone in the kitchen, staring at nothing in the dark.

"Erik, what-are you all right?“

Erik shook his head and stood. He left the room without a word.

–

Erik wouldn’t talk to him. Charles could feel that something was wrong in the way Erik moved around him, in the way he avoided Charles’ gaze and the way he sidestepped conversation and intimacy.

He never wanted to kiss Charles anymore, when before he could never get enough of doing so.

Charles just wished he knew how to make Erik talk to him, and maybe then the physical part could follow after.

–

Erik had always been too stubborn for his own good. It had started plenty of fights in itself over the years, but things had always recovered quickly. They couldn’t stay mad at each other for long.

This felt so much worse, mostly because neither of them were mad. It was as if Erik was hoarding something that he knew would ruin them both and refused to let Charles in on it.

They weren’t supposed to keep secrets from each other; Charles had thought they were past that. And maybe the fact that they were always so open was part of the reason that Charles could tell when Erik would close himself off. Sometimes Charles could look in his eyes and see it, even.

Erik was afraid of something and Charles had no idea why.

"Please, just talk to me.”

“Charles, there’s nothing to say.”

–

He kept trying. He kept asking, ‘Darling, what’s wrong?' Why won’t you tell me?

And Erik would look at him and lie that nothing was wrong, and the circles they were dancing around each other kept getting larger.

–

Erik would forget the strangest things.

“I’m not sure how to get back,” he called to say once. “I’m on Sylvin and can’t remember-”

“Just follow the highway toward town and take a left. End of the street, luv. Been that way for years.”

Charles tried not to let it bother him. Sometimes your mind slips and falls, even on familiar things.

No reason to worry too much.

–

Erik was angrier lately, sharper in his thoughts and spoken sentences. He’d snap sometimes and dig his words in deep, always knowing where Charles would hurt the most. They’d been such a part of each other’s lives for so long now that it was easy

Erik was never supposed to use it, though. Charles sometimes couldn’t believe when he would. 

He tried not to let it hurt, not when there had to be a reason.

He hoped there was a reason.

–

Erik never apologized anymore. Not like he used to, guilty and sweet and looking for forgiveness.

It was like he wasn’t even trying now.

–

Years ago Charles might have cried, water filling his eyes until it began to spill over. He might have yelled back, hurt and angry, looking for a fight Erik would have most certainly given him.

But Charles wouldn’t now. He was strong enough for this, he liked to think. He wouldn’t lose this surreal battle of wills, not when he could tell that Erik was doing it on purpose. Not when he knew that Erik still loved him. It wasn’t fair to either of them if Charles gave in.

Charles knew he was stronger. He just had to wait until Erik was ready to tell him what was wrong, and then everything would be fine.

At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

– 

Erik didn’t tell him about the seizure, but Charles knew. He’d seen the hospital bills that Erik had left in his suitcase.

He hadn’t been snooping, but when he’d seen them, half obscured by other papers, he’d been curious enough to look.

He wanted to say something, but what could he? How could he convince the man he loved to tell him something he wasn’t sure he even wanted to know in the first place?

–

It was one final push that gave Charles the strength to act. Erik had packed his bags.

'I love you,’ Charles had stood up and said, his voice forceful and strong while his hands shook at his sides, 'and I won’t let you push me away without telling me why.’

Erik turned away from him, 'I can’t stay here,’ and he began to walk from the room. Charles grabbed his wrist and Erik’s feet came to a stop on the soft carpet they were standing on.

(This had been a dream house. Charles had always talked of having kids one day. Erik had grumbled that it was too soon every time it was mentioned)

'I know you’re sick,’ Charles said with a conviction he wish he didn’t have to have.

Erik stilled and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Charles could see they were wet, 'You don’t understand,’ he replied, his voice wavering in the space between them, 'this is something I need to face alone.’

'If you talked to me, maybe I would understand. I told you, didn’t I? For better or worse.’

Erik sighed, and the line of tension in his shoulders began to ease. He turned back toward Charles, his face cracking into something a little more than broken.

'I’m not going to let you watch me die,’ he said.

‘Erik-‘

‘It’s cancer.’

Charles let his grip loosen. Before he could even form a response, Erik had slipped out of his grasp and out of the room away from him.


End file.
